


Expendable

by Merfilly



Series: Rise Up, Rebels [7]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-18
Updated: 2016-03-18
Packaged: 2018-05-27 13:21:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6286303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merfilly/pseuds/Merfilly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Luck runs out, sometimes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Expendable

Luck had to run out. Obi-Wan knew it was a feeble mistress at best. Now, Ghost and Vox were trapped on a freighter, one that had been boarded by none other than the 501st. At least Ahsoka was not here; she and the twins were hiding in the moon's shadow. Obi-Wan feared just what she might do, though, when she noticed their trouble.

Padmé had her blaster out and ready to kill on sight. Obi-Wan had one too, but his fingers itched for the hilt of his lightsaber. If it was kill or be killed, no matter what, he would pull the saber out and do all he could to buy Padmé the time to escape. The twins needed her, and he was truly a ghost of the assassinated Jedi Order anyway.

"This way," she suddenly hissed at him, pointing up at a narrow grate. It might have been just wide enough inside for them, and he did his best to remove the grate by Force manipulation so it could be replaced. He had to boost her in, then leapt with his Jedi tricks, but he managed to get the grate secured again, moments before the searching party came through.

Gone were the small decorations that made the clones distinctive. All the pieces of individuality that the Jedi had encouraged in their troops were lacking in these people. More horrifyingly to Obi-Wan's senses, these were mostly recruits, not clones, and yet they felt more alike than any squad he ever led of the clones.

He did not feel Rex; he'd heard that Rex had retired himself and given way to a new commander before the Purge of the Temple. That made him feel slightly more at peace as he all but held his breath until the squad had passed.

"They'll bring — "

An explosion cut off his words, and Obi-Wan knew just what was happening despite his hopes she'd remain clear.

"Ahsoka's here," Padmé said, a grim smile on her lips. "And the stormtroopers just lost their ship, I bet."

"I have no doubt you are correct. Let's hope it is a small detachment aboard this vessel, then." He dropped back down into the corridor, and now he did take out his lightsaber. The familiar hum and weight settled him for the coming fight; they would need to reach the docking bay, knowing Ahsoka would be waiting to rescue them there.

"Let's hope our allies are smart enough to get rid of the evidence," Padmé said, as they began the running battle to reach their youngest partner and their own vessel.

"Even if this was a double-cross, they'd be idiots not to," Obi-Wan said, before he was using his skills to deflect shots, defending Padmé while her blaster did deadly damage to their attackers. His sole focus was to get her to the ship, to her children. When a bolt took him in the shoulder, he hissed and kept fighting, wielding the lightsaber in his still good hand. His injury was nothing, compared to his need to keep her, and the twins, safe.

++++

"You blacked out as soon as we boarded," Padmé said, as Obi-Wan came to in the quiet of his berth, his master's old robe drawn up over him as a blanket… and nothing else under them to guard his modesty.

"What? I remember a shoulder blast — "

Padmé fixed him with a stern glare. "That was before we made the docking bay. Where you attempted to shield me with your lightsaber and left yourself open to no less than three shots."

Obi-Wan stared up at her, and slowly recalled desperately propelling her up the ramp… and pain. "You came back for me?"

"Of course I did!" she snapped at him. "And then had to be thankful we made Threepio add that module from the junked TwoOneBee we found!"

She was angry, Obi-Wan dimly noticed. At him, and… scared? Why? He slid his hand toward hers where it rested on her thigh. She was sitting on the berth with him, tense and angry and he didn't understand why.

"Thank you," he said, even as she tightly wrapped her hand around his.

"You listen to me, Obi-Wan Kenobi! I don't know what is going on through your head, but you listen to this and understand it!" Her voice was so firm, as commanding as he'd ever heard Cody or Rex be. "You are not expendable. You are every bit as important to the twins as I am! And you do _not_ get to be self-sacrificing! I need you!"

Her words slowly penetrated his fog, and he felt something inside him crack, breaking open a vulnerability he had been trying to shield for years, the one created as Anakin fell further from him.

"You need me?" he asked, afraid he'd heard her too correctly.

She met his gaze proudly. "Yes. Not just the twins. I need you."

He closed his eyes, wanting to warn her. He wanted to tell her that needing him led to his failures, that he would not meet her needs, and she would be hurt, or worse.

Her lips on his forehead broke that train of thought, and he snapped his eyes open when she made to rise.

"Padmé — this is because we both loved him," he said softly, trying to place this on terms he could handle. She paused, looking back at him over her shoulder.

"No, Obi-Wan. It's because you are the only friend I have who understands all that was lost." She left him then, to consider those words and his own confusion.


End file.
